Studio Ghibli is venturing into new territory. The animation house’s first international co-production is The Red Turtle, a gorgeous fable from Dutch animator Michaël Dudok De Wit. While not a Studio Ghibli release per se, this wordless wonder is certainly worthy of standing with the Japanese giant’s other titles. The story and art are deceptively simple, spinning a tale of an unfortunate man stranded on a desert island, but what eventually emerges is a moving meditation on the cycle of life.

The Red Turtle has already won over audiences at Cannes and TIFF (among other festivals) and is now preparing to set sail for U.S. theaters. Check out the new The Red Turtle trailer below. Read More »

Studio Ghibli’s The Red Turtle is set to premiere in the Un Certain Regard section at the Cannes Film Festival which is currently underway in France. The Red Turtle, or La tortue rouge as it’s titled internationally, tells the story of a sailor who becomes marooned on a deserted tropical island and desperately tries to escape until he encounters a strange turtle that somehow changes his life. The entire 80-minute movie features very little dialogue and looks absolutely gorgeous and promises to be something truly special, making me wish the big American animation studios hadn’t completely given up on 2D feature animation.

Watch The Red Turtle trailer now and tell us what you think in the comments.